Wholesome Wave applauds the USDA on the expansion of produce prescriptions in the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program
(Bridgeport, CT) June 1, 2022 Wholesome Wave, the national leading nonprofit working to eliminate disparities in diet-related disease across the United States today extended congratulations and support to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and the entire team at USDA on their announcement of a robust framework for shoring up the food supply chain and transforming the food system to be fairer, more competitive, and more resilient. Among the important policies announced today was a major expansion of produce prescriptions in the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), enacted in the 2018 farm bill that honors our co-founder.
“It is nothing short of amazing, and no surprise that Secretary Vilsack is doubling-down on the importance of food as medicine to effectively address nutrition insecurity and the diet related diseases it causes. With 250,000 diabetes patients facing dialysis and another 70,000 facing limb amputations every year, we are at war with diet-related disease. Providing the knowledge and resources needed by low-income Americans to prevent or better manage these horrible, expensive diseases could save our country over $1 trillion in treatment costs and lost productivity every year,” said Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave Co-Founder & Chairman “A cornerstone to building back better requires a healthy, productive, and motivated population. This program is just what the doctor ordered!”
Since the program’s beginning in 2019, GusNIP has funded 29 produce prescription projects across 18 states. The $40 million investment by USDA announced today will significantly expand the reach of produce prescription programs to clinics and patients across the United States while improving the lives of countless low-income rural and urban community members.
Diet-related disease is the leading cause of early death in the United States, and only 1 in 10 Americans meet the daily recommended servings of fresh fruits and vegetables. This problem has disproportionately leveled a costly burden on the entire country, especially in low-income rural, urban, and BIPOC communities. Produce prescription programs have been the subject of extensive peer-reviewed research which has confirmed associations with reduced HbA1c, reduced blood pressure, increased fruit and vegetable consumption, and increased patient-centered satisfaction and empowerment of treatment plans for thousands of patients with, or at risk of, diet-related illness(es).
Wholesome Wave and our colleagues at the NPPC are deeply committed to ensuring that this GusNIP PRx expansion helps providers across the country reverse the tide of diet-related illness for the communities they serve, and we congratulate the USDA on an ambitious framework for shoring up the food supply chain and transforming the food system to be fairer, more competitive, and more resilient.
About Wholesome Wave: Wholesome Wave is the leading national nonprofit that works to make fruits and vegetables affordable for all. Rooted in the belief that poverty should never be an obstacle to nutritious food, Wholesome Wave and its network partners have empowered millions of Americans who struggle with hunger by increasing affordable access to healthy produce.
